While motor-driven ski-rope retrievers are broadly old (e.g. Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 3,098,463, 7-23-63) none is known that is easily removable and/or is adapted for use either as a motor-driven, or as a non-rotating manually wound, retriever.
It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a ski-rope retriever adapted for use as a reversible-motor-driven retriever swingable between a vertical-axis position for manual winding-in of rope and a horizontal-axis position for paying-out the rope over and around the edge of the rear spool flange.
It is a further object to provide such a dual-role retriever having means for quickly and easily attaching it to, or detaching it from, a boat deck, for discouraging theft or vandalism and for minimizing weather damage when not in use.